Elegant Avenue Pudsey: Meet the family behind the boutique spa in Leeds celebrating its first birthday

Sisters Gemma Thompson and Hannah Wilson founded Elegant Avenue spa with Gemma’s 21-year-old daughter, Aleyah, in July last year. They wanted to create an intimate spa experience at an affordable price, offering customers a chance to fully unwind without breaking the bank.

The family had the idea for the business during lockdown; Hannah has run a nail business for 18 years, training Aleyah up as an apprentice, while Gemma is qualified in massage treatments. When a vacant building came up for rent in Swinnow Road, the trio snapped it up and began transforming it into a tranquil sanctuary.

Gemma, 39, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “We realised there was nothing like it in the area and a lot of big spas are really expensive. We jumped straight in and it grew from there. We wanted it to be a small, intimate spa.

“You can book an exclusive spa experience if there’s six or more of you, as we know that lots of women - and men - are a bit self-conscious about going to big spas and walking around in swimwear.”

Elegant Avenue offers a range of relaxing treatments, from dermaplaning facials and bamboo massage to body wraps and prenatal treatments. Spa days can be booked for as little as £30 per person - with a steam room and sauna, salt shed, foot sanctuary and hot tub to unwind in. And because of its intimate size, the spa experience can be fully tailored to each person or group.

Gemma added: “One mum recently came in with her autistic daughter, and she absolutely loved it. We can cater for lots of different needs because we are smaller.

“The overall feedback we get is that people walk out feeling so relaxed and happy. We’re getting more and more people coming in on their own, such as ladies who need some time out from home life, or even mums and dads who come together with their children.

“People feel comfortable doing that at our spa because we don’t have it busy. They walk out feeling happy and that’s become so important.

"People need to be able to switch off - people’s mental health is struggling from Covid, and now with the cost of living crisis. We want to make it affordable so people can come and enjoy that time to relax. You feel like you’re miles away, but you’re actually in a little place in Pudsey.”

As well as maintaining low prices, the family often donates vouchers to charity raffles, and the spa has opened up jobs to local people. Gemma can envisage branching out of Pudsey in the future, opening more intimate spas in other areas.

“We are super proud,” she added. “It took a lot of work to get here but we worked tirelessly, with so much help from family members. Without them we wouldn’t have been able to do it. It feels so rewarding that the hard work is paying off and we can offer this lovely service to people.”